1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a swing training device for golf clubs, tennis rackets, baseball bats, or the like, which permits a user to audibly realize the proper timing of the swing.
2. Prior Art
Popular sports such as golf, baseball, hockey and tennis require the holding and swinging of a shaft (which may be a club, racket or stick) to hit an object such as a ball or a puck to drive the ball or puck in a proper desired direction. The swinging of that club, be it a baseball bat, golf club, hockey stick or tennis racket requires skill and a lot of practice, over a long period of time, in order to do it properly. One of the disadvantages of playing these particular sports is that the swing of a club or the shaft occurs so fast, that it is almost impossible to figure out how you did it improperly unless you watched yourself through a slow motion camera.
There are some shaft or club training arrangements known in the field, to help sportsmen play the game, however they may be somewhat cumbersome and don""t often teach the user the proper timing and swing by results other than the travelling performance of the ball or puck. The first is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,935 to Dirksing et al, which shows a ballast on the stem of a baseball bat, which ballast is adjustable along the length of the bat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,551 to Handy et al. shows a novelty bat having a sound-producing slide weight within a center bore of the bat to make a sound effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,209 to Mollica shows a baseball bat training device with a weighted member which slides along the rod of the bat, to provide a visual indication to the batter as to when acceleration is made during the swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,829 to Van Cott et al. shows a golf-swing training device in which an audible sound is produced by an integrated circuit chip arranged within the club head. Improper swinging of the club indicates through the electronic chip by a particular noise and hence indicates a problem with the swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,873 to Karasabas shows a golf swing trainer arrangement with a tubular chamber running transversely to the shaft of the club, the chamber being divided and having a movable ball therewithin. Movement of the ball between the chambers of the housing arranged transversely on the shaft indicates an improper swing.
While these arrangements are somewhat novel, they are in most cases unduly complicated and don""t necessarily indicate the proper timing of the swing for the proper impact to occur between the club or racket and the ball or puck.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a simple and economical teaching aide for the swinging of a club or racket to indicate both initial and vital stages of a swing thereof.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide a series of audible or visual responses to indicate to the user of proper swinging characteristics.
It is still yet another further object of the present invention to provide a swing trainer device which may be adjustable to accommodate the size or the swing conditions of the sports player.
The present invention comprises a swing trainer arrangement, which is adaptable onto the shaft of a sport club such as a golf club, a hockey stick, a tennis racket, or a baseball bat or the like.
The swing trainer arrangement, in the first preferred embodiment, comprises an elongated linear rod, which may be arranged within the elongated shaft of the sport club, racket or stick being utilized. The rod is elongated, and has a first or lower end and a second or upper end. A stopper is preferably adjustably secured by a set screw or the like to the first or lower end of the rod, and a second stopper is securably arranged by a set screw, welding or the like, on the upper or second end of the rod. In this first preferred embodiment, a pair of rings, preferably metal, are slideably disposed on the rod between the first and second stoppers within the shaft of the club/racket/stick. The rod is internal within the shaft of the club or stick or racket handle being utilized by the player, and when the shaft is swung into its preliminary orientation just prior to the swing to hit the ball or puck, the two rings strike one another at the proximal or hand-held end of the shaft. During the arcuate swinging motion of the shaft by the player, the rings are caused to slide down the rod within the shaft and strike one another at the point of the swing which is optimum for striking the ball or puck, thus providing an audible signal to the player as to where and when in the arc of the swing that ball or puck should be hit, that is, simultaneously with the audible sound of the rings within that shaft. It is to be noted that if the sound occurs before the optimum location xe2x80x9cof the hit then the user will know that the swing of the club, bat etc. was released to early, the sound of the movable member(s) resonating before the optimum location was reached by the club, bat etc. The obverse is also true for this invention.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and second stoppers may be placed externally about the lower and upper ends of the shaft of the club being played, so as to permit the swing trainer arrangement to be readily adapted to a standard shaft, game, club, or bat, and indicate to the user by both audible and visual signals.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the elongated rod is replaced by a tubular member, the tubular member having a stopper adjustably arranged within each end thereof, and metal blocks or balls within that bore of the tubular member to effect the sound patterns at the beginning and at the optimum impact at the swing of the shaft containing that tubular member. I such sound occurs at a different time than at the point of impact of the club, bat etc. with the ball of puck, the user may then be able to recognize his/her inaccuracies, and adjust his/her swing accordingly.
In yet a still further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the swing trainer arrangement may be provided in kit form, wherein the stoppers are comprised of split rings, having a hinge on one side thereof and a securing component on the other diametrically opposed edge, to provide the effective adjustable stop locations on the club or stick shaft. A pair of rings having an inside diameter sufficient to fit over the end of the club or stick, yet small enough to be stopped by the stoppers, may be fit over the end of the shaft to provide the audible (and visual) effect at the respective xe2x80x9cswing-initiationxe2x80x9d location and xe2x80x9cswing-strikexe2x80x9d location of the club, stick, bat, or racket.
Thus there has been shown a novel swing trainer apparatus which may be built into a golf club, tennis racket, hockey stick or baseball bat, or added onto an existing golf club, tennis racket, hockey stick or baseball bat or the like, to provide audible and visible indicia of proper (or improper) timing of the swing of a sports club to teach and thus to indicate the initial and the optimum locations for the ball/puck xe2x80x9cstrike-zonesxe2x80x9d for that club, stick, racket or bat.
The invention thus comprises a swing trainer arrangement for providing recognizable signals to the user/holder of a sports club or racket to teach the proper swing and ultimately indicate the optimum swing and strike locations. The arrangement may comprise: a first stopper and a second stopper each arranged to be supported at a selected location of a shaft or handle of the sports club or racket; and at least one movable member arranged to be slideably disposed between the first and the second stoppers to generate a signal as to certain preferred locations of the shaft or handle during play thereof. The first and second stoppers may be arranged internally in the shaft or handle of the sports racket or club. The first and second stoppers may be arranged externally on the shaft or handle of the sports racket or club. The first and/or second stoppers may be adjustable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft or handle of the sports racket or club. The first and second stoppers may be threadably adjustable to a proper longitudinal location of the shaft or handle of the club or racket. The first and second stoppers may be securably locatable at a proper longitudinal location of the shaft or handle of the club or racket by a set screw arranged therewith. Each movable member may be comprised of a torroidally shaped ring, a planar washer, or a ball or combination thereof. The first and second stoppers may be arranged on a central rod of shaft arranged within the shaft or handle of the club or racket. The first and second stoppers may be arranged in a bore of a tubular member which is insertable into a shaft or handle of the club or racket. The sports club or racket may be selected from the group comprised of a tennis racket, a golf club, a hockey stick or a baseball bat. The signal may be audible. The signal may be visual. The signal may be both audible and visual.
The invention also may include a method of indicating the proper swing location of a sports club or racket comprising the steps of: providing at least one adjustable stopper at a specific location on or in a handle of the sports club or racket; placing at least one movable member between the stoppers in a sliding relationship therewith and the handle of the club or racket; swinging the club or racket so as to move a movable member with respect thereto; and signaling the proper location of the club or racket by the members hitting one another and/or at least one of the stoppers.